Cat Ba aims to become an international tourism hub.

With nearly 1 million visitors in the first five months of 2024, Cat Ba, the pearl of the Gulf of Tonkin, continues to affirm its role as a key tourist destination in Hai Phong. However, in the face of this ambitious goal, Cat Ba needs to solve the problem of further developing its valuable natural resources.

The potential is vast.

Scenic spots - Special National Monuments, World Biosphere Reserves, National Parks, Marine Protected Areas, Top most beautiful bays in the world as voted by the Most Beautiful Bays Club (MBBW) Association, and most recently, a World Natural Heritage site recognized by UNESCO… These are some of the outstanding titles that the Cat Ba archipelago - Lan Ha Bay (Hai Phong) has been awarded, bringing the name of this destination beyond the borders of Vietnam and making it famous worldwide.

Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Archipelago were recognized by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage site in September 2023.

The Sydney Morning Herald, an Australian newspaper, also lavished praise on the beauty of Lan Ha Bay in the Cat Ba archipelago. "Lan Ha Bay emerges like a fairyland on the endless water, comprising hundreds of large and small islands, bays, and diverse mountain and forest ecosystems, creating a spectacular and majestic natural landscape," the newspaper described.

What makes Cat Ba so highly regarded internationally if not its outstanding natural values ​​of international significance? As the third largest island in Vietnam, Cat Ba, along with nearly 400 surrounding islands of varying sizes, forms the Cat Ba archipelago, often described as a string of green pearls in the Gulf of Tonkin. It possesses immense potential for developing high-class ecotourism and resort destinations.

Accordingly, Cat Ba National Park is one of the national parks with the highest biodiversity in Vietnam. It is home to approximately 1,600 species of higher plants, 63 species of mammals, 209 species of birds, 58 species of reptiles, and 401 species of insects… Among them are many rare and endemic species such as agarwood, Cat Ba langur, spotted deer, hornbill, and brown-headed eagle,…

To fully exploit Cat Ba's unique strengths, on December 2, 2023, the Prime Minister approved the Hai Phong City planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050. This plan identifies the goal of developing a highly attractive Cat Ba - Do Son coastal tourism complex, combined with Ha Long Bay, to become an international-class coastal tourism center. It can be said that after the "boost" of being recognized as a World Heritage Site, the opportunities for Cat Ba's development are even wider.

The overall plan for tourism development in Hai Phong city until 2025, with a vision to 2030, also identifies the need to define Cat Ba's unique value, leveraging its natural strengths combined with appropriate investment in infrastructure, developing sustainable green tourism linked to the exploitation and preservation of world natural heritage sites, and building Cat Ba's tourism brand into a world-class island paradise. These are important legal frameworks to gradually shape Cat Ba into an international tourism center.

Waiting for breakthroughs

Recent statistics show the immense appeal of Cat Ba in the tourism landscape of Northern Vietnam. After the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of visitors to Cat Ba has increased sharply. The number of tourists to Cat Ba in 2023 reached approximately 3 million, higher than the record level achieved in 2019 before the pandemic.

This appeal is further amplified when compared to neighboring coastal areas such as Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, and Thanh Hoa, where Cat Ba possesses many outstanding advantages, targeting the high-end tourism segment and attracting international visitors. However, in 2023, Cat Ba only welcomed over 510,000 international tourists, less than half the number of its "neighbor" Ha Long Bay, which shares similar potential and is on par with the status of a "world natural heritage site". Clearly, Cat Ba has enormous potential for development; with proper planning and solutions to transportation bottlenecks and tourism infrastructure upgrades, Cat Ba will soon take off.

Solving the problem of upgrading tourism infrastructure will help Cat Ba take off sooner.

Currently, Cat Ba has begun to attract the attention of major investors such as Sun Group and Flamingo. However, compared to other coastal tourist destinations like Ha Long, Phu Quoc, and Nha Trang, the accommodation system in Cat Ba is still very limited, lacking 5-star resort brands to meet the needs of luxury travelers.

Even Sam Son beach, once considered a "budget-friendly destination" in the North, has undergone a spectacular transformation thanks to the joint efforts of large corporations, creating new, high-class tourism products and attracting millions of visitors during the April 30th - May 1st holiday. Therefore, if Cat Ba only rests on its existing achievements and strengths without making strong breakthroughs, it will be very difficult to elevate its tourism and realize the approved development plan.

To develop Cat Ba tourism to match its potential and aim towards becoming an international tourism center, according to Dr. Nguyen Hoai Nam (Hai Phong University), it is necessary to focus on upgrading and building new, high-quality tourism infrastructure; prioritize the construction of high-end hotels, modern urban areas, attractive entertainment venues, and create many unique tourism products with the distinctive characteristics of island and coastal tourism; and prioritize the development of resort tourism and eco-tourism.

Cat Ba Island is proposed to be planned as a car-free island.

In particular, there is a great need for innovative ideas and initiatives to help Cat Ba accelerate its smart ecological planning, focusing on reducing emissions and environmental pollution, protecting the environment, and preserving the ecosystem of Cat Ba National Park. Even bold plans are needed, such as establishing a traffic management regulation on the island aimed at prohibiting the use of internal combustion engine vehicles, using only cable cars and electric vehicles as the primary means of transportation for tourists. This proposal was put forward in the Resolution on tasks and solutions for tourism development in Hai Phong 2017-2020, with a vision to 2030, calling for participation and cooperation from private investors.

The success stories of Da Nang, Phu Quoc, and others in achieving international recognition, thanks to attracting major investors and creating high-quality, distinctive projects, offer valuable lessons that Cat Ba can learn from on its upcoming journey of self-improvement.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/cat-ba-truc-muc-tieu-tro-thanh-trung-tam-du-lich-quoc-te-20240625115314311.htm